An Unexpected Adventure
by Ace.x.Luffy.x.Zoro
Summary: Ace and Luffy are having a painfully boring summer, but luckily their good friend Zoro comes up with an fantastic idea to kill time: a vacation that would bring them to a medieval castle with a mystery that only they can solve.
1. Chapter 1

**Blah. Disclaimerrr... I do not own One Piece, or any of the One Piece characters, as much i want to... Oda-sensei does, so there. o_o enjoy the short first intro-chapter! XD**

* * *

Unexpected Adventure: Chapter One 

It was a dark and stormy night (lol), but it really was a stormy night outside the D. Brother's household. The dark clouds appeared to be moving at a snail's pace, and the rain flooded every street corner in sight. A police car's siren sounded off in another part of the town, and a young 16 year old Monkey D. Luffy sat looking outside the window at the lightning bolts and pouring rain. Even though it was nearly midnight, the black-haired boy was still very awake, and very bored. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, causing it to creak on the floor. He couldn't think of anything to do; his mind was blank as a piece of paper.

"Nii-chan, I'm super bored. What should I do?" Luffy asked in the most monotone voice known to man. It took several seconds for a response from Luffy's 'nii-chan'. It came as a careless shrug from the 19 year old Portgas D. Ace, who had been laying on his disheveled bed, texting. The younger boy was skeptical as to whether he had even been heard by his older brother. Luffy stood up, slowly walked over to Ace's bed, and lay down next to him. A crack of lightning illuminated the room for a split second, lighting up the boy's face.

Ace nearly jumped as he noticed his brother suddenly lying next to him. Of course he didn't show any outward sign of surprise. He sighed, and then took a deep breath.

"Luffy, why do you always have to spend the night in my room? You have your own, so you should use it," Ace mumbled as he quickly shoved his brother off of the bed, making it creak. The younger boy sat up and pouted and quietly whispered something along the lines of his own room being lonely. Luffy then sighed and lay down on the carpeted floor. It's everlasting softness made up for the many stains that had accumulated over the years. In fact, it was a miracle that the carpet's original color was still visible. This had always managed to amuse Luffy, but it wasn't doing much for him at that moment.

The older couldn't help but smile at how cute and childish Luffy still was, despite his age. In reality, Ace didn't mind the company at night. The boy made for a warm, comfy pillow. Perfect to snuggle against during a chilly night. It was always odd when Luffy spent the night at a friend's house, leaving Ace all alone in the house that their parents had left them, but of course, he couldn't let the younger brother know of his true feelings, because that might make things a bit awkward for the two of them.

The brothers' parents were constantly traveling for work related reasons and rarely came home. So they decided to let the boy's rule the house they grew up in. It was a nice house: a two story, with cream-colored siding, a tan front door, and a large, covered front porch. With several large trees on the lot, it made for great climbing when the brothers were small. It wouldn't even be a slight challenge for the boys now, though. However, they never got tired of the cozy house.

Even though the money that was sent home from their parents was more then enough to pay bills and such, Ace would sometimes decide to get a part-time job while Luffy was in school. It helped pay for trips to the movies and road-trips that the younger brother had insisted upon. The job kept the young man busy for the most part, so he didn't complain much. However, it did nothing to get rid of Luffy's ever-growing boredom throughout the summer.

Ace sighed, "Why don't you call Zoro or something? Watching you lay on the floor and be un-amused isn't doing anything for me either."

Luffy lifted his head up quickly with his eyes glowing with a ray of hope. He nodded and stumbled out of the dark room to find the phone. Ace scratched his neck and looked back down at his phone which he had momentarily forgotten about. '8 new messages,' it shone. He quickly forgot about Luffy as he worked on sending back his replies. Soon after, a bright flash lit up the room to show the young boy standing right next to Ace, looking down on him with a wide grin on his face. Once again, Ace nearly jumped out of his skin, but barely moved a muscle. A window rattling burst of thunder followed just seconds after, making him flinch a bit, not expecting it.

"Luffy! Don't scare me like that, sheesh," the older brother muttered as more thunder and distant sirens were now audible. Luffy laughed for a few moments before he dropped down on his knees next to Ace's bed.

"Sorry nii-chan, I'm just super-super-super excitedddd!"

Ace gave Luffy a questioning look, clearly confused as to what would make him suddenly excited.

"Zoro's going on vacation and he said we could go with him!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Ace sat upon his bed with yet another creak, staring down at Luffy who was nearly bouncing up and down in excitement. He still held the cell-phone in his right hand, which was now emitting muffled sounds from the other end. The older grabbed the phone quickly and put it up to his ear. He then spoke into it.

"Where are we going, when, and how long will we be there?" Ace questioned in almost an excited tone, looking back at his lil' bro. Luffy looked like he was about to start rolling around on the ground, which made Ace almost laugh out loud. After a short moment of silence, a voice spoke on the end of the line.

"You guys have passports, right?" Zoro asked.

"Passports? Yeah, we do, but… Where the heck are we going?!" Ace said confusedly.

Zoro grinned in amusement as he sat down on the leather sofa in his living room. He rarely got to hear this tone in his friend's voice. He laughed and put his legs up on the glass-topped coffee table in front of him. The green-haired boy of age 18 glanced around the large room at the familiar objects: his leather sofa, matching leather recliner, the glass coffee table, and his flat screen TV that hung on the wall opposite of him. Zoro looked through the glass wall of windows on the back of the house that looked into his lush backyard, and watched the wind make small ripples in his now overflowing in-ground pool. He focused his attention back inside the house; all the 12 foot walls were painted either light grey, grey-blue, or tan, and all the rooms had unique and curved light fixtures to switch up the blocky-theme of the architecture. The home was a truly magnificent work of art.

Zoro sighed and talked into his cell phone again, "Going to Wales. Yeah, the fish country... We're leaving the day after tomorrow, and we'll be there for 10 days. Start packing. You'll be spending tomorrow night at my house, so be ready. See ya." Ace hung up on the other end of the line, so Zoro gently placed his phone on the coffee table with a slight clink, ripped off his shirt as he walked outside into the night. The storm had just passed, making the air cool, and a few distant rumbles were barely audible. He then dove into the cool water and disappeared from sight.

"See ya," Ace responded before he quickly hung up and turned around to face Luffy.

"YATTA!" Luffy yelled as he jumped into a non-expecting Ace's arms, "Finally! An adventure!"

The older boy grinned as he held his brother tightly. He kissed Luffy's forehead and rubbed his back.

"You heard him, Lu. Get packing!"

* * *

The next morning; after the brother's had eaten breakfast, taken a shower and brushed their teeth, Ace studied Luffy's luggage with a concerned face. It must have been the heaviest bag in history. The young boy didn't seem to mind the weight, though, carrying it as he stood next to his brother. His excitement would have let him run around the earth two times while carrying that bag (if he wanted to), so he seemed not to notice how heavy it was at all. The older of the brothers laughed at the fine variety of items that Luffy had packed.

"Ah, Lu, you're just like a girl! Can't make up your mind on what to take!"

Luffy took this as a compliment and put on his ear-to-ear grin. Ace messed with Lu's silky black hair and smiled back down at him.

"Now let's go over to Zoro's and raid his fridge, shall we?" He said as he slung Luffy's bag, along with his own bag, over his shoulder, and stuck out an arm in a gentlemanly way for Luffy to hold onto. The boy giggled and gently took Ace's arm with both hands as they casually strolled out of the house and shut the tan door behind them.

As soon as Ace rang the rectangular metal doorbell next to Zoro's flat grey front door, the green-haired boy opened the door wide, leading them into his home of a different dimension. Everything was very modern and neat as usual, thanks to the maids that cleaned Zoro's house every other day, and made Luffy 'ooh' and 'ahh' at the bright abstract pictures that hung from the walls. Ace took notice of all this, but didn't show how impressed he was in his expression. Other things were more important at that moment. He leaned in towards Zoro, grabbing his shoulder with a death grip and whispered into his ear.

"Where's the kitchen? I got a starving little eating machine over here that is in major need of fuel."

Zoro turned as pale as a sheet of paper after this unexpected closeness and quickly managed to shrug. Ace facepalmed and put down the luggage where he stood. He walked over to Luffy, picked him up with one arm under his legs, the other behind his back, and took off in search of the kitchen. It made no sense how a man could get lost in his own house. Zoro coughed, ran a hand through his hair, then took off after the brothers.

All three of them found the kitchen on the second floor above the attached garage, which was an odd place, but absolutely perfect for Zoro. Of course, all the appliances were stainless steel, there were dark granite countertops, a solid black floor, and the cabinets matched the grey walls, with polished steel handles. There was a tall, rectangular, grey island in the middle of the kitchen with matching metal bar stools. Above this island, there were several blue-glass hanging lights that seemed like upside-down bowls. Other recessed lights along the kitchen ceiling lit up the entire room. Of course, the brothers were too busy stuffing their faces with food to notice these things.

"Zoro, Sanji would fall in love with your kitchen! It's so cool!" Luffy managed to say in between bites. Zoro scowled at the thought of the cook.

"Well too bad, it's mine. All mine," he said with a grin as he leaned against the countertop on the island. Luffy laughed and continued eating with Ace. It always amused Zoro how much those two could eat. It's like their stomachs were never-ending. Ace looked up at the green-haired boy and swallowed his food before asking a question.

"So… hey Zoro, how did you manage to get a free vacation for three? Haha that sorta rhymed."

"Mom's job pays well, so I've been saving up all the money that she's been sending me for a really long time, and that's how it turned out," Zoro said as he looked out the nearest window with a faraway look. Luffy stopped eating long enough to join his brother in a small round of applause for managing to not lose the saved-up money.

There was still something that had been weird for Ace ever since the night before, though.

"Why Wales?" he asked with a curious look.

Zoro scratched the back of his neck for a few moments while he chose his words.

"Well… I lost a bet with Nami a while back… 'who ever got from school back to my house first wins.' – cough - She won. So she got to choose where I would go on vacation."

The brothers looked at each other in silence, then burst out laughing at the other's loss. The grass-head only rolled his eyes in response.

"Oh well, whatever!" Luffy chimed happily, "We get to go somewhere and do something for once!" Ace just smiled and didn't plan to argue, since it was very true. Zoro laughed and pushed Luffy's straw hat back so that he could mess with the his hair playfully. Like always, the boy didn't mind at all. Ace sent Zoro a weird look before he got up to go to the bathroom, leaving the two in the kitchen.

The older boy of the two didn't exactly understand that glare, though… jealousy? Was Ace mad that he had touched Luffy? What kinda brother was he? An awkward silence that only Zoro could feel came over the room, and he tried to figure out something to talk about.

"Soooo Luffy, what do ya wanna do? We can play basketball, soccer, watch TV, go swimming.. oh, and later on we can watch scary movies and stuff."

Luffy looked up at Zoro's face when he mentioned swimming. It had been forever since the last time he had been able to swim. He definetly wanted to, but there was one thing on his mind that he wanted to ask…

"Hey Zoro~"

"Yeah?"

"I really wanna go swimming, but umm.. can we play truth or dare later too? All the girls say that's what they do at sleepovers, sooo…" Luffy questioned, with round eyes looking into the other's soul, it seemed like. Zoro had to laugh at this as he nodded. How girly was this guy? Oh well, at least it wasn't annoying, yet.

* * *

Ace came back from the bathroom to find the kitchen empty. No Zoro, but more importantly, no Luffy. He sighed, and scratched the back of his neck before looking around the house for the other two.

Meanwhile, the younger of the two brothers was looking through his bag to find his swim trunks. Zoro stood behind him, just looking at all the stuff the guy had managed to stuff in his bag. It was pretty impressive... After a few minutes of searching, the swim trunks were found. They were red and black checkered, with a black waistband. Luffy found a spare bedroom to change in, and walked inside. As soon as the door closed, Zoro began his way over to his room to get changed too.

Back over to Ace… He was looking all over, but it was a rather large house, and all the hallways looked the same to him. 'If I had grown up in this house, I would constantly get lost too!' Ace thought to himself as he walked around. He heard a noise behind one of the doors he had just passed, and backed up. He put his ear up to the door and listened; the rustle of clothes being taken off. Ace's mind instantly went to very-very terrible places.. So he opened the door quickly and walked in on… his younger brother changing.

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~ + woo. how do you like the story so far? yay? nay? + ~


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Zoro had finished changing, and was now walking around looking for Ace. 'Damn these hallways..'he thought as he walked down yet another grey hallway. One of the doors up ahead was open, and Zoro could see Ace standing in the doorway with a tired but somewhat relieved look on his face. As the green-haired boy got closer to Ace, he put a hand on his friend's shoulder and was going to ask something when he looked in the room and saw a naked, and now very embarrassed Luffy.

Zoro was about to step away when Ace whirled around, grabbed his face and slammed him into the grey wall behind him. Ace then quickly shut the door, leaving the brothers together. Luffy's cheeks were bright red, and wore a terrified expression, almost like he was about to cry. The older brother turned and faced the door, closing his eyes.

"Just finish changing, okay? Sorry that Zoro saw you.. but I'll make sure that he forgets what he saw," Ace said in a gentle voice. Luffy silently nodded and quickly put on his swim trunks. He tapped his older brother's shoulder when he was finished, and when the taller boy turned around, Luffy hugged Ace and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you for being such a good brother, Ace," Luffy whispered.

Ace hugged his brother tightly and rubbed his back for a little while till Luffy completely calmed down.

"You're okay.. everything's okay. I won't let anything happen to you,"Ace told his brother. Luffy sighed and readjusted his head on the other's chest, and put his arms around his neck. Ace picked him up gently and the younger brother wrapped his legs around Ace's waist while the door opened.

While this was going on, Zoro was just sitting out in the hallway, holding his head in pain. Ace would definitely kill him. He would die. For sure. At least it had been a pretty good life while it lasted… Zoro looked back in his mind at Ace's expression when he had accidentally glanced at Luffy. It seemed like Ace was going to murder him right then and there, but was only pushed away. Weird guy. He closed his eyes, sighed and then the door opened. Ace was carrying Luffy, but surprisingly, there was no murderous look whatsoever. More like a desperate expression, which was odd… Zoro looked up at him with a concerned face.

Ace tried to hide his boiling anger, afraid that Luffy would freak out, so he tried to look pleading instead. He set Luffy down, motioned for Zoro to come talk to him in private, and walked around the corner of the hallway. The older turned and put a hand on the green-haired boy's shoulder, making him flinch a bit.

"Look. I know I may be over-reacting, but… could you please try to forget what you saw of Luffy? Situations like that terrify him.. And I hate to see him scared, so.. just don't think about him like that, okay?" Ace said, but a small part of his voice still sounded a bit upset.

Zoro looked at Ace with the same concerned expression for a few moments. He wanted to ask.. He wanted to ask why Luffy was so scared.. But he decided that it really wouldn't help the situation, and Ace would've told him if he wanted to. Zoro looked down at the floor for a moment before he looked back up into Ace's eyes and nodded. So the two of them walked back around the corner, and noticed that Luffy was sitting in the hallway with a still slightly upset look. He glanced up at Zoro, and then looked away.

Zoro felt bad now; really bad. He just wanted to hug the boy and make him calm down, but it seemed like only Ace could do that. The older of the brothers kneeled down and grabbed Luffy's face and made him look up at Zoro.

"See him? He's Zoro. He's your best friend who would never do anything to hurt you. Please, please please, remember that, okay Lu? This was just an accident.. Ace said, looking straight into Luffy's dark eyes. It killed him to see his younger brother this way.. it was one of the worst feelings.. The boy looked back at his brother and nodded.

Zoro felt like jumping off a cliff. His stomach felt like it was twisted in half. He ran a hand over his face and slowly took a step towards Ace and Luffy. He put his arms out, like for a hug, and just stood there till the youngest moved. The older brother reluctantly pulled Luffy up from the ground and slowly pushed him against Zoro's chest.

Luffy's heart was beating out of control and he felt like he was going to pass out. Why did such a simple accident terrify him so much? This is one of the few friends he had, and trusted. He would trust Zoro with his life, yet.. now.. Ahhh Luffy couldn't take it.

Zoro gently rubbed a hand over his friend's back while holding Luffy's head against his shoulder. He could feel the younger one's quick heartbeat loud and clear. 'This guy's pretty hot. He might just pass out against me,' Zoro thought as he looked around for a window or a door to feel the cool air. He wasn't really panicking, however. The green-haired friend picked up Luffy with strong arms while he calmly walked over to one of the back doors. Grass-head didn't notice Ace trying to get his attention as he opened the door, leading to a staircase that went down to the backyard. Luffy shivered a little as a breeze swept over them, and Zoro stopped to look down at the boy with an unusually happy expression.

Luffy opened his eyes and looked up into Zoro's dark-green eyes which were now focused on him. The boy smiled before his mind overflowed and he fainted. Zoro sat down on one of the bottom steps and sat Luffy in his lap, facing him. The older boy ran his hand through the other's hair, trying to cool him off a bit more. Zoro didn't care what Ace was going to say: just simply tried to help out a friend. But in fact, Ace never did come out looking for them… Maybe he really trusted Zoro now?

Ace looked down at the two from the doorway and smiled. (While Zoro was with Luffy, he had gone and gotten his bag from downstairs, and had changed into his own swim trunks; black with orange and yellow flames.) It had been a while since Luffy had been in anyone else's arms, or had been seen naked by anyone else. Of course the boy would react the way he did. Ace wasn't really surprised, but Zoro must have been freaking out inside. The older of the brothers threw a towel over his shoulder and smiled as he walked through the house and sauntered into the backyard casually.

Ace jumped up and down while waving, trying to get their attention; anddd it worked very quickly. At first it seemed like Zoro was just staring away from the older boy with an 'I dont know you' expression, but then he glanced down at Luffy. Luffy sat up in Zoro's lap and yawned. He looked into his green-haired friend's eyes for a long while and then, with a wide grin, threw his arms around the other's neck. Ace laughed at how easily Luffy decided to trust Zoro again.

Zoro carried Luffy with a somewhat mischievous smile over to the pool and then the three of them all jumped in together.

* * *

After the boys got tired of swimming, which took a while, Zoro and Luffy found separate rooms to change in. Ace had made sure to stand in front of Luffy's room, blocking the door, just to make sure. The two boys opened their doors about the same time as each other, and the younger brother hi Ace's back with the door and made him fall right on his face. Zoro laughed his ass off while Luffy stood with a confused look on his face. His mind slowly responded with a click.. click.. bing!

"Oh, sorry nii-chan! Didn't mean to hit ya," Luffy said, realizing the situation. Ace just showed a thumbs up as he slowly got back up onto his feet. The brothers looked at each other for a minute before they burst out laughing.

"Ace, he calls you 'nii-chan~'" Zoro said with a smirk, elbowing Ace's side. The older just stood there, barely noticing what was said. Luffy gave the green-haired boy an a questioning look.

"What's wrong with calling nii-chan 'nii-chan'?" he said, crossing his arms.

Ace grinned and pushed Zoro out of the way so that he could pick up his brother. Zoro looked at the two and he felt something strange; two unfamiliar emotions. Loneliness and jealousy. He had no siblings, and was single, and these things weren't going to change anytime soon. The young man looked away for a moment, and the brothers could tell that he felt left out. They looked at each other, grinned, and pulled Zoro into a tight hug. At first the hugged-boy flailed and attempted to back away. After a few long moments, he stopped resisting, stood there a second, then put his arms around the other two in return. Luffy just laughed like an idiot, but Ace wore a slightly surprised face. He wouldn't have expected that Zoro, of all people, to accept the hug; but whatever.

Zoro felt a smile trying to form on his lips, but he tried not to smile, which turned out to be a harder task than he thought. A slight blush crept on his cheeks instead, which made him even more flustered. He looked down at the ground, and Ace was half-tempted to laugh at his situation, but decided against it; so he lifted Zoro's face, looked into his eyes for a while, and then pushed him away. Luffy pouted and poked his brother repeatedly till he looked down at him.

"Nii-channnnn.. but he looked so happy!" Luffy whined, pulling on Ace's shirt. Ace just laughed and rubbed his little brother's back. He glanced over at Zoro, who was leaning against the wall with a smile on that nobody had seen on him; ever. A beautiful smile. It kind of resembled the way Luffy grinned, but.. then again, no one can copy Luffy. Ace stood staring at the green-haired boy's awesome smile until Luffy poked his cheek in confusion.

"Whatcha looking at Zoro for?" Luffy asked, obviously not pulled in by the smile. Zoro was now staring at Ace with a 'what the..?' expression, and Ace shook his head and turned away from him. He rubbed his eyes, coughed, and turned back around to find Zoro had snuck up behind him. Ace jumped, sighed, and pushed him away, laughing. The three of them laughed for what seemed like forever, and then they decided to get something for dinner then get ready to sleep.

* * *

Zoro's kitchen was about empty when they were finished eating dinner, which didn't really bother anyone, well.. Luffy didn't even notice, but continuing on~ Zoro attempted to clean up, sort of, and then followed the brothers down the stairs to the living room.

"Sooo," Ace began, "Are we gonna sleep in separate rooms like odd people, or bring our stuff to one place and sleep?"

Luffy watched his brother ask this question with a very confident sort of expression. He waved his hands around and suddenly burst out, "I have to sleep with nii-chan!"

Zoro covered his mouth to keep from laughing, and Ace gave him a 'go-die-in-a-hole'-look, so he instantly became perfectly still, rock-like. Meanwhile, Ace laughed and patted Luffy's head. They all then agreed to sleep in Zoro's room, (if they could find it), so that Luffy could be with his 'nii-chan', and secretly so that the host wouldn't be lonely.

Zoro set off to find his room and clean up a little bit, since the maids weren't allowed in his room (hmm XD) and the brothers went to get their stuff. Luffy ran on ahead, leaving Ace alone in his own journey through the identical hallways of doom. Luffy grinned as he picked up his bag from the entryway, where it was left earlier, and walked towards the back of the house. He turned left into a grey-blue hallway, turned right at the second-to-last door and walked through the doorway to Zoro's room; a new record time. Luffy couldn't understand how finding a room was so hard for other people.

When Zoro had finally managed to remember where his room was, he found Luffy snuggled up on his bed, his hat placed on the pillow beside him, fast asleep. The older boy scratched his head and walked into the room. He picked up some clothes off the ground and threw them into his laundry hamper, put away his miscellaneous weights and exercise equipment, and after placing Luffy and his hat on the floor he put new sheets and blankets on his bed. As Zoro was doing this, Ace walked into the room nearly died from a heart attack at the sight of Zoro actually tidying his room.

"I do this more than you'd think… Since the maid can't come in here, I have to do it myself every once in a while," Zoro said defiantly, placing Luffy back on the bed again, along with his hat.

"Sorry, sorry. My bad," Ace said, slightly laughing. He walked over and sat next to Luffy on Zoro's neat bed and yawned. Zoro looked at them, and decided to sit down on the ground. Ace looked down at him and frowned. He held out his hand to the green-haired, who in turn gave him a curious look as he slowly reached out his hand too.

Ace grabbed the other boy's hand quickly with a death-grip and pulled him up onto the bed next to him and Luffy. Zoro sat up slowly and rubbed his now-sore wrist. Luffy woke up and rolled over onto his back, or, rolled over onto Ace's lap. Ace blinked and looked down at his brother, who was now looking back at him. Luffy smiled and attempted to pull his brother's face closer, but Ace got flustered and fell off the bed, onto his head. Zoro laughed his ass off, again, at his misfortune and Luffy joined in with him while the eldest slowly climbed back up next to them. They instantly went silent when they came within range of Ace's death-grip, though, fearing for their lives.

The embarrassed young man scowled and lay back on the bed, his hands behind his head, and thought about what Luffy was going for. 'What the heck was he trying to do to me?' Ace thought, straining to remember the look on his brother's face. He was smiling, right? From his point of view, at first it would've seemed like Luffy was smiling, but the boy had been frowning. Epic fail.

"Sorry if I gave you a weird feeling, nii-chan. You looked really red and I thought you might be sick, so I wanted to feel your forehead, but.. you kinda freaked out!" Luffy said as he started laughing again. Zoro smiled at the young ones good intentions, surprised that Luffy had even noticed such a small detail.

Ace sat up and looked at his younger brother with surprised face. He got up and looked at his face in the mirror next to the bed. His freckled cheeks did look a bit red, but.. a sun burnt-red. He sighed and asked Zoro if he had anything for sunburns, and the search began. After a while, he found some lotion and threw it over to the sunburned boy. It didn't immediately get rid of the color, but helped keep it hydrated for the moment. Ace walked over and gently put the straw hat on Luffy's head.

"Thanks, Lu. I didn't even realize that I had any sunburn, and uhh.. sorry for freaking out."

Luffy just nodded and looked up at his older brother. Zoro looked at Ace with an odd expression on his face.

"You don't pat my head and say 'thanks for the lotion, Zoro'" he admitted with a smart-aleck-y tone in his voice and crossing his arms. Ace just rolled his eyes with a slight grin and responded.

"Are you jealous of my precious lil' bro?" he questioned, pulling Luffy against his chest and rubbing his back. Luffy wore a blank expression, and Zoro stumbled to find a correct and truthful answer.

"Not really, I mean… I don't knowww.. maybe?"

Ace stopped grinning and looked at Zoro's face with a somewhat seriousness. He let go of a confused Luffy, and put a hand on the other boy's shoulder and took a breath before speaking.

"Are you gay?"

* * *

~ + so sorry for making this chapter so dramatic and serious _ i hate it, but it needed to be done XD and..reviews..please? it encourages me o_o + ~


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you gay?"

Chapter Four

The question seemed to crack through the air like a bolt of lightning and struck Zoro in the chest. His eye twitched and he randomly looked down at his hand, opening it and closing it. Ace stared at Zoro intently, eyes wide, not knowing what was going to be said next.

"I honestly don't know. I've been alone for most of my life, so I guess I'm just so lonely that I would go for anyone right now...? Does that even make any sense?" Zoro said, putting his face in his hands, "I have everything that I would want here except I'm still missing something- someone."

Ace tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as he observed a new side of this guy. It was odd to see and hear these things coming from him. Luffy even seemed to be listening to, and comprehending what was said. But something slowly began to click inside his mind and he looked up at Zoro with a slightly scared look. Ace looked to Luffy, read his expression, and suddenly smothered him with a pillow.

"What did I tell you about him? Calm down and listen, okay?" Ace said sternly, lifting the pillow off of Luffy. Luffy sighed and nodded, slowly sitting up and leaning against his brother's shoulder. Zoro watched, mortified that he was scaring his friend senseless, for a reason even he didn't know. He felt somewhat betrayed, but told himself that there just hadn't been a good time for Luffy or Ace or anyone to inform him. The green-haired friend just felt like jumping off a cliff as more words came from his mouth.

"Seeing you guys makes me really jealous. Not a I-want-to-kill-you-for-what-you-have jealousy, but just.. I wish I had your sort of relationship with someone, you know? Someone to talk to who would understand me and help me out, but would also rely on me when they needed help. Is that such a hard request…..?" Zoro said in a very defeated and helpless tone. Luffy understood now that this tough, solid man was actually very empty at that moment. The boy felt a wave of something push him to hug this newly-revealed side of his friend. So he did. He crawled over, wrapped his legs around Zoro's waist, and put his arms around the other's neck. Zoro didn't even feel surprised the way he was right then.. he just simply put a hand on Luffy's back and rubbed it gently, resting his head on Luffy's shoulder.

"So does it matter now if I'm gay?... If I did try to form any sort of that relationship with either of you, it wouldn't be for physical pleasure or to take out my anger on you… Only for your friendship and company," the green-haired boy said, almost pleading with them; pleading for their understanding. He closed his eyes and waited..

Luffy nodded several times in agreement, and Zoro could hear him sniffle a little, and felt his shoulder become a bit wet from Luffy's crying. Luffy's grip loosened, so Zoro put his other arm around the boy and firmly embraced him. Ace felt like smiling at the sight of his brother actually understanding the other boy's feelings, but yet couldn't achieve it. Zoro, of all people, felt empty. How did these thoughts never come out before now? But Ace decided that even if Zoro was gay, it wouldn't matter. And if he did decided to engage in a relationship with him or his brother, Ace knew that Zoro would treat them well.

"Today has been rather exhausting…Let's just get some sleep, alright? We have a long 10 days ahead of us and we need as much energy as we can get tonight. I'll turn off the light and then we can all go to sleep," Ace said, with the smallest smile ever. And they did what was mentioned. As the light was turned off, Zoro took off his shirt and rubbed Luffy's cheeks dry. Luffy then layed down next to Ace, and Zoro next to Luffy, then a blanket was pulled over the three of them, and they all fell asleep in no time.

The next morning, Luffy awoke to find the smell of meat floating around him and the rest of the house. Ace had his arm around Luffy's side and had a leg somewhat on top of Luffy's leg. It was an odd position to be in when you had just woken up a few moments ago. Luckily, Ace woke up several minutes later, opening his eyes to find Luffy staring impatiently at him with only an inch or so between them. He jumped a little, which sent him falling back off of the bed once more. Ace groaned and rubbed his back as he sat up, and was surprised to not hear Luffy laughing at him. Instead, the boy's hand was extended towards him, which he grabbed, and was pulled up quickly. The younger brother soon lost it and ran towards the smell of food while yelling. A thud was heard as he ran into an unexpected wall. Ace bent over laughed at this unfortunate event and soon ran after his brother.

Meanwhile, Zoro had woken up before the brothers and went to cook whatever food was left for breakfast. He made chocolate chip pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausages, and toast, except enough of each food to last a month. Above the sizzling of the bacon, he could hear Luffy yelling his lungs out as he ran around downstairs. Zoro laughed really hard as he heard a loud thud interrupt the boys yelling, knowing full well what had happened. Soon, the two brothers appeared; well, Ace was carrying Luffy who seemed to be slightly dizzy from the wall-incident. Zoro grinned for a few moments before he became serious and prepared himself to make an important announcement.

He turned and looked at Ace, then Luffy, and sighed in defeat before he said, "We have no cereal," shrugging in innocence. It was the most random, yet most relevant thing he could've said. The room remained silent for several awkward moments before they started laughing. It was very true though; there was no cereal.

After they had all eaten enough, they took showers, shaved, brushed their teeth and hair, and made sure all their belongings were in the correct bags and suitcases. All was good! It seemed that as long as Luffy had his hat, he was perfectly fine. Well, but you never know when you would need all that stuff in his bag… tsk tsk. Zoro made sure he had money, and that all the windows and doors were shut tightly and locked, which took a while, but after this they carried their bags out of the house, and all hopped in Zoro's car.

After all that classic airport stuff (lolol…. lazy), the three boys were soon on their way to their vacation-location: WALES.

* * *

Luffy was practically jumping in his seat for the entire flight, which seemed to be annoying several people seated around the three boys, which led the older two to try and restrict the over-excited one. When they exited the plane, retrieved their luggage, and got a taxi, Luffy was beat. Ace carried his now sleeping brother carefully up to their vacation house, along with his own bag. Zoro then carried Luffy's bag and his, struggling to keep his balance with all the extra weight. The boys stopped and looked at the house they stood in front of. It was small. And dark. And creepy. Ace slowly turned to face Zoro with a very annoyed expression.

"How the hell did you find this cheery little place to stay at?" The older asked with obvious sarcasm, rolling his eyes.

"My mom said she had 'connections' and told me of a house that we could use… if I knew that it looked like this, I really wouldn't have said 'okay'," Zoro responded with a sigh.

They both unenthusiastically continued on anyway. Zoro walked to the side of the house and lifted up a small rock. He then grabbed the key that was underneath it, and strolled back around to the front door. The key opened the door, and they were lead into, once again, a small and dark interior.

On the first floor there were three rooms: a living room, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. In a corner of the living room, there was a wooden ladder that led up to an attic-bedroom. It was small, and dark. There was wooden-paneling on the walls and ceiling of this room, with one window on each of the vertical walls.

The boy set their bags on one of these beds, and Ace gently put his little brother down on the other. Zoro and Ace looked at each other for a short while, trying to connect their thoughts through an invisible highway.

"Two beds," Zoro stated.

"Three of us," Ace replied.

Luffy snored , drawing the two's attention to him. They then began their brainstorming:

1st night: Zoro + Ace in one bed. Luffy in the other.

2nd night: Ace + Luffy in one bed. Zoro in the other.

3rd night: Luffy + Zoro in one bed. Ace in the other.

4th night: Zoro + Ace once more. Luffy in the other again, and so on. The pattern continues. Why they didn't just make one of them sleep on the floor is a mystery.

"Just to warn ya, Luffy will steal your blankets," Ace stated, pointing a finger at Zoro. The green-haired boy laughed and looked down at the currently sleeping friend.

"Ah, no big deal. Whatever keeps him warm," Zoro said as another unusual smile crept across his face.

Ace awkwardly smiled back at him, still a bit unsure as to how Luffy would react, and walked over to the other bed. He leaned over it and peered out the window that was placed above it. There seemed to be endless farmland, so major cities in sight. No neighbors with a few miles. There were a few wooden and stone fences separating these many fields, but nothing else significant could be seen from that window.

"Some location Nami chose, eh?" Ace said to Zoro, who was leaning over Luffy and looking out the other window. Zoro only nodded in shame, and took in what he saw.

Hills, hills, and more hills. There was a dark shape of a house or two, but nothing more then those: except for one thing.

Off in the distance stood a mighty stone castle, constructed hundreds of years ago, and was once known for architectural magnificence. It was elaborately built, with many detailed arches and pillars; ivy covered towers and stone statues; one-of-a-kind murals and hand-crafted floor tiles. It held many stories and memories, and was home to generations of wealthy nobles and royalty of the its time. Zoro grinned and turned to face his older friend.

"But hey, I think I found us an adventure."

* * *

~ + looked over this really quick.. blah. sorry for mistakes. XD hope you liked it anyway+ ~


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Later in the afternoon, as Luffy was still sleeping, the two older boys were beginning to hear their stomachs growling loudly. Apparently breakfast hadn't been enough to keep them satisfied till dinner, so Ace scavenged through all the old wooden cabinets in the kitchen, looking for any sort of food. Sadly, the only things that were found were spider webs and dusty shelves; two very non-edible things. He sighed as he turned around and decided to inform Zoro.

Meanwhile, Zoro was being his usual self and doing his everyday exercise routine in the tall grass by the side of the small house. The boy was in the middle of 50 one-handed push-ups when Ace walked around the side of the house and sat down in front of him. He didn't pay the older boy any notice, however, and continued on till Ace spoke.

"Zoro… there's no food," Ace mumbled, leaning over with his head placed in his right hand. After a few moments of silence, the now sweaty boy stopped in mid push-up and looked at his friend sitting in front of him. His face wore an 'you've got to be kidding me' expression, which did not surprise Ace one bit. Zoro fell onto his chest, and then rolled over onto his back with a loud sigh. He ran a hand through his hair and then plucked a blade of grass from the ground and placed the end in his mouth. The grass-haired boy sighed again and looked back at a now glum young man.

"Luffy might starve to death, ya know," Ace said as he drew small circles in the grass with his left hand. Zoro silently nodded and told him of few houses they had passes on the way to 'their' house. The two friends decided to walk down the road to the nearest neighbor's house and see if they could help. Ace quickly ran inside and sloppily wrote a note for his younger brother on the back of an envelope that he found, and left it on the kitchen counter. Zoro and Ace then set off down the dirt road on foot in search of food.

* * *

After what had seemed like an eternity, the boys came upon the nearest house down the road. They were tired, and their shoes and pants were coated in dust. Their clothes weren't exactly keeping them warm, either, as a cold front was coming in. Ace noticed a light in the front window of the small house, and cautiously walked up and knocked on the wooden door. He took a few steps back beside Zoro, and they waited for a response.

After several awkward moments in silence, the two were looking at the young man who had opened the door. The man yawned sleepily and then looked at the unfamiliar boys in front of him. He was a fairly skinny fellow, with two golden earrings on each ear. He was some-what tan and slightly muscular; dark tattoos on his hands and arms visible. His hair was short and dark, and that dark color could be found on his eyes also. Altogether, he was pretty good looking.

"Do you guys need something? You don't appear to be from around here," the man said in a pleasantly friendly tone. Meanwhile, Ace and Zoro wore amused expressions, not really expecting a young man like him to answer the door. Zoro blinked and stumbled to find a fitting reply.

"Ah, well, we're on vacation here," he began awkwardly, "But our 'vacation home' has no food. Maybe you could help us out?"

The young man smiled and closed his eyes. With a wave of his hand, he ushered them into his home.

It turned out to be very similar to the 3 friend's house, but not anywhere near as dark and creepy. A dark red rug covered the center of the wooden floor in the main living room, and colorful maps and pictures dotted the paneled walls. The home gave out a cozy and comfortable aura, even if it was a bit cramped. Upon reaching the kitchen, the man turned to his guests and introduced himself with a smile.

"Oh sorry, I'm Law by the way. And.. what should I call you?"

Zoro looked to Ace. Ace blinked a few times, coughed and turned away. Zoro sighed and then slowly took a breath again.

"I'm Zoro. This is my friend Ace. Ace's lil' bro came with us too, but he's passed out back at the house," Zoro said as he awkwardly looked up at the new friend, "Oh, and he eats a ton."

"Hmm, well, I'll let you guys eat dinner here if ya want. I've got nothing else to do," Law offered, scratching his neck and glancing towards the refrigerator. The boys agreed that it would be a big help to them, so they all piled into Law's car and drove back to the house. Law gave the house an odd look before looking over to Ace.

"Doesn't look too friendly," the man said tapping the steering wheel with his hands. Ace nodded glumly before glancing back at Zoro in the back seat, who looked rather odd back there.

"Go get Luffy, will ya? He probably hasn't even woken up yet."

Zoro sighed and slowly opened the car door and stepped out. He walked up to the house, and opened the front door (which was accidentally left unlocked..) and walked up to the ladder. Climbing up, he saw that Luffy was really still asleep, but.. on the floor. But it didn't matter what position or where the kid was sleeping, he always looked so cute to the green-haired boy. Zoro shook his thoughts away and picked up the boy gently, along with the precious straw hat, before carefully climbing back down.

"Why can't there be stairs..geez.." Zoro mumbled as he shut the door and slowly carried Luffy out to the car, making sure not to wake him up.

Law watched a slightly blushing Zoro carry Ace's younger brother out of the house. _'How old is this younger brother? He looks pretty cute.._' Law thought to himself when a blush crept onto his cheeks as well, _'Wait. That's a bit wrong_.'

"He's still sleeping, so let's try not to wake him up," Zoro said quietly as he shut the car door slowly behind him. Luffy now lay on his side, legs bent, and head resting on Zoro's leg. This made the older boy blush as he rubbed his friend's side and looked out the window. Ace and Law glanced back at the two and grinned. They actually looked kinda cute together. The driver gave a thumbs up and they were on their way back over the dirt road to his house again.

As the car rolled along calmly over the hills and fields, Zoro noticed that there was actually some sort of charm to the land. A simple farm-life kind of feel. He saw several farmers chatting by the road-side, laughing and enjoying each other's company. A smile appeared onto the city-boy's face upon seeing people so happy, so carefree. One of the men looked towards the car and even waved with a happy grin. Without a thought, Zoro found himself waving back at these total strangers; and he felt happy.

The sunlight began to become scattered as grey clouds began to slowly make their way toward the boys' location. The breeze also changed, started to pick up in order to push along these clouds; filled with raindrops waiting to be poured onto the land. There was definetly rain in the forecast. A gust of wind nearly took Luffy's special hat out the car window, to which Zoro grabbed it and held it tightly against his chest. _'That could've been terrible_,' he told himself, _'the last thing we would need is to go on a wild goose chase after a hat in this weather_.'

Meanwhile, Law hummed a tune softly and tapped a finger or two on the wheel in sync when he looked up and noticed the clouds rolling in. It had been raining a lot lately; just a bit more than usual. He had talked with a few of his farmer friends, though, and they said that the crops loved it! A good sign, for sure. No one likes angry farmers with pitch forks, after all.

"Might want to roll up your windows, guys. You never know when those clouds'll decide to open up and let it rain," Law said as his own window slowly met with the frame. Ace soon followed afterward, and Zoro had to awkwardly reach over Luffy to roll up the last window. Zoro placed the straw hat on his own head, curious as to how it felt to wear it. Even though it was made of straw, it was still soft and comfortable. He figured he looked like an idiot wearing it, however. Just as he was about to take it off, Ace looked back at him with a teasing look in his eyes.

"Hey Zorooo~ What are ya doing?" Ace asked, reaching back and poking Zoro's knee, grinning like an idiot. Zoro frowned and blushed in embarrassment as he quickly took off the hat. He then rubbed the back of his head and looked out the window at the clouds.

"I just wanted to know how it felt to wear it, alright? Can't I be curious?" The grass-headed boy mumbled in an irritated tone.

"Oh, I see~ I'm sorry~" Ace said with sarcasm and continued, "Well it looked terrible on you." Ace laughed, turning back around in his seat.

"When did I ask for your-" Zoro began, obviously annoyed, but was interrupted by Law stopping the car abruptly and turning halfway to face both Zoro and Ace.

"Sorry to act like the parent here, but weren't you the ones who wanted to stay quiet so that he could sleep?" Law hissed in a low voice and gestured towards Luffy, who squirmed a little, and now lay on his back. Zoro and Ace felt embarrassed after being scolded by a man they just met and turned to look out their separate windows again. Law sighed and continued his drive back to the house.

* * *

~ + lolol XD + ~


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Dancing through a field of tall grass and flowers, Luffy sang happily and was having a wonderful experience. He felt the wind on his face, heard birds singing, and felt the sun's much needed warmth. A foreign sound could be heard, however. A sound almost like… talking? Luffy groaned as the grass and flowers faded to black right before he managed to force his eyes open. It was a better dream then normal, at least.

The boy yawned as he slowly sat up on an unfamiliar couch, and was instantly curious, and scared, to know where he was. He didn't recognize any of his surroundings, but one thing stuck out about the place: the smell of food. Luffy then sensed his brother's presence nearby, and began walking towards the smell. His feet took him into a small kitchen where the happy faces of Ace, Zoro, and… Mr. Mysterious-unknown-person greeted him. The young boy got distracted and drooled at the smell, deciding that since the stranger was cooking, he must be trust-able.

"Sooo what's cookin?" Luffy asked curiously with his stomach growling loudly. Law smiled and took a moment to play with the boy's silky black hair, not bothering to answer the question. The 16-year-old looked up at the man with a blank, expressionless face. Then his cheeks turned red. He backed away very quickly and bumped into Zoro, who was laying on the ground, and fell on top of his stomach. Zoro let out a gasp and Ace proceeded to laugh very, very hard.

Luffy jumped back up, quickly apologized to Zoro who was clutching his gut, and scooted over to Law. The black-haired boy was nearly leaning against the man when he reached up a hand and poked the man's chest.

"Since you're making food, it doesn't really matter, but… who're you?" Luffy asked innocently, looking up at Law with round eyes. Law glanced down at the boy and almost had a heart attack from the cuteness. He ran a hand over his face as Ace and Zoro filled Luffy in on what went on while he was sleeping.

Luffy nodded happily and smiled; leaning against Law's right side. The man's right arm was then stuck against his side, but cooking with his left hand would be a disaster… So he decided to look really creepy and push Luffy more against his chest rather than his arm so he could cook. Law couldn't see them at the time, but the other two boys were giving him the glare of death. The nerve of him to try and steal Luffy's heart before they had the chance!

So as Law was cooking, Luffy was stuck in between the stove, Law's chest, and Law's arms. His mind was about ready to explode and his cheeks were far beyond red, not knowing what to do. Before Ace and Zoro could get up to do something, or say anything, Luffy threw his arms around Law's chest and clung to him tightly. Law froze in place and his face turned very red, matching Luffy.

Zoro sighed in jealousy, got up, and started repeatedly poking the boy in the head. Over and over and over until Luffy finally looked up at him from Law's chest.

"What do you think you're doing?" Zoro whispered to Luffy, leaning down a bit to match the other's height. If someone were to have pushed either of them, the two certainly would've kissed. Luffy stood staring into Zoro's eyes for a moment, in fear of his friend not because of the distance between them, but because of the tone used. Meanwhile, Ace took over cooking for Law, making sure none of the food was burnt. Law was still frozen in place…

All of a sudden, Luffy closed his eyes tightly, whined, and burst through Law's arm-bar into Zoro, making them fall backwards into the wall behind them. Zoro groaned in pain as he slid to the floor, while Luffy rearranged himself and sat on the green-haired boy's lap, facing his friend. Zoro didn't even seem to notice or care, though. His body hurt too much.

Sooner or later, sometime after Zoro recovered, dinner was served. The four of them awkwardly sat round the dark wooden table and chowed down on the delicious food. Luffy didn't quite care what he was eating, as long as it tasted good! Eventually the silence was broken and the boys all talked and told stories and learned more about each other. Of course, Ace fell asleep on his plate a few times, which only made the evening more humorous: or more embarrassing.

"You don't seem to be originally from around here, am I right Law?" Zoro asked out of curiosity, leaning onto the table with an elbow. The dark-eyed man smiled up at Zoro and nodded. He then proceeded to reach an arm up and pointed out the window at the distant castle. Unfortunately, before Law could even say anything, Luffy nearly jumped out of his pants.

"You're from the castle?!" he bellowed, standing up from his chair. Ace silently reached out his hands and covered the boy's mouth, pulling him back into his seat.

"I wish," Law mumbled, "But I'm actually studying it right now. I was born and raised in Colorado, of the U S of A."

Zoro and Ace glanced at each other, reading each other's minds. This guy was studying the location of their adventure. He could be the key to their exploration.

Law saw a slightly amused look on the older boy's faces, but Luffy's was hard to make out. His face was very red, and appeared to trying to *gasp* think! ( XD ) He closed his eyes tightly and took a breath before speaking calmly.

"Hey Law~ Could you take us through the castle?"

Law sat there for a moment with a blank expression, and absent mindedly played with one of his earrings. He thought for a moment before looking down at the adorable Luffy, who was trying desperately to hide his impatience. The tattooed man grinned nodded happily. '_If it'll make him smile and be happy, I'm all for it,' _Law thought to himself, trying to force other thoughts away.

Luffy let out his emotions and jumped onto the tan man's lap, wrapping his arms around a now frozen Law. The older man wasn't too good when it came to situations like that. Meanwhile, Ace and Zoro were amazed that Luffy made the connection in his head that quickly. *whistles~* This was going to be an interesting trip.

* * *

After the four men had eaten their fill of food and helped clean the dishes, Law proposed the idea of the guests spending the night. Luffy quickly nodded in agreement, chanting out how awesome the sleepover was going to be. The other two however seemed to be twins when it came to thought processes lately; it was odd how friendly the new acquaintance was acting towards them. It was rather creepy. But they both knew that Luffy's mind could never be changed, so they all agreed and got ready to sleep.

So Luffy, Ace, Zoro, and Law all slept in the main living area. Law offered Luffy, and only Luffy, the couch to sleep on, but the young one frowned and shook his head.

"Thanks, but I have to sleep near to nii-chan!" The youngest said with a smile, hugging his older brother's arm tightly. Zoro and Law went to great extents to hide their jealousy. But then Luffy continued on, "But I'll sleep next to you on the floor~" Ace looked at Zoro and they both sighed. That wasn't going to happen.

So from right to left, this was the order in which they lay down: Law, Luffy, Zoro, Ace. Luffy wasn't exactly next to his brother, but closer to Law, which made the green-haired friend uneasy. So Zoro carefully placed Luffy in between him and Ace. Law was now next to him, but at least the muscular one would be expecting it if the 'creepy' man tried anything.

Ace didn't mind having Luffy as his pillow again. It would've been terribly awkward if he had woken up sleeping on Zoro. Luffy wasn't too happy about his move, though. Why did Zoro move him away from Tattoo-man? However he soon forgot these thoughts as he drifted off to sleep, snuggled against Zoro's back. Ace put a hand to his mouth to keep himself from laughing as an embarrassed 18-year-old glanced back at the boy who was pressed against him. Zoro shot the older boy a glare and turned back around to face the couch. (Meanwhile, Law pretended to be asleep but actually kept an eye half-open to watch the awkward moment. Realizing his creepiness, he laughed on the inside, flipped over, and fell asleep. For real.

Later that night, sometime after midnight, Ace's fears came true. Zoro was laying on his back, stiff as a board, wearing a confused-embarrassed-terrified expression. Ace slowly rubbed his eyes and yawned, but didn't notice who he was clinging to. He rested his head against his friend's chest and was soon asleep once more. But Zoro hadn't moved an inch. He looked around for Luffy who had gone to the bathroom, and he was now laying in his original spot next to Law. Zoro sighed and tried to pull the boy as far away from the sofa as possible: meaning Luffy was soon holding tightly onto his other arm. It was hopeless.

Zoro was almost, sort of, barely asleep when Luffy began squirming around. The boy wore a pained expression on his face, and tightened his grip on the muscle-y arm. The older friend panicked, and tried to remember what Ace did when Luffy was having a nightmare.

- cue flashback –

Zoro was spending the night at Ace and Luffy's house one night a while back when something similar happened. The older two were still awake talking when Luffy began flailing in his sleep. The poor boy also began to make panicked noises and gasps. Ace just calmly, but quickly, moved over his brother and put a hand over the young one's mouth right before he screamed. Older brother Ace pulled Luffy into his lap and ran a hand through his soft black hair, beginning to sing.

The green-haired boy simply sat with an eye-twitching. 1. He had never heard Ace sing before. And 2. It's like Luffy was his girlfriend..boyfriend.. or something! But Luffy calmed down and was once more sleeping peacefully with a beautiful smile. Zoro sighed leaned back in his chair before drifting off to sleep.

- end flashback -

So Zoro wiggled free from Ace's grasp and picked Luffy up in his arms gently. He decided that if he wasn't able to hold back Luffy's screeches and such it would be better to be outside. Footsteps led to the back door, unlocked it, and stepped out into the night. The slightly warm air felt nice for a change while the moon bathed them both in a shimmery white light. It was a peaceful change from the busy city nights.

However, Luffy still moved around in the Zoro's arms with a desperate expression. The older sat down in the slightly tall grass and rubbed Luffy's back, trying to calm him down. Zoro could sing when he really tried, but it was too late to sing. So he hummed Ace's song into Luffy's ear, and ran a hand through the boy's silky locks. After a short while, the squirming stopped, along with the noises. Zoro smiled and to his own surprise, leaned down and kissed his friend's head gently; lovingly. The green-haired one lay back in the grass, still holding Luffy to his side, and fell asleep, the stars twinkling above them.

* * *

~ + *squeeeeal* lol XD like it, like it? lots of Zoro, but i promise I'll try to put more Ace in the future o_o also, i am terribly sorry for the late update.. _ urgh. ive been busy.. but ill try harder next time! + ~


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

The next morning, at breakfast, Zoro told them of the horrors of suddenly becoming a human pillow, and Ace looked like he wanted to jump off a cliff. Zoro patted Ace on his back, slightly laughing.

"It's okay, though. I got used to it eventually. I think…" Zoro said with a grin. Luffy was laughing the entire time, and that laughter soon became very contagious. Law was somewhat surprised by the boys were, but decided not to say or ask anything. He just smiled and laughed along with the boys.

Soon, a calm silence swept over the room. Law looked up from is plate at Ace, who sat across from him, and debated whether to speak up or not. Zoro noticed where Law was gazing, and then looked over to Luffy, (who was still eating like a pig). Ace saw Zoro look over to Luffy, and then looked up to find Law staring right at him.

"Uhh… do you need something?" Ace questioned, with a very dubious expression plastered across his face. Meanwhile, Law was pulled out of la-la-land and blinked several times before realizing that he was being spoken to. He shook his head quickly and embarrassingly looked down at his plate with a blush starting to become visible. Ace gave the host an odd glare before he spotted all the food missing from his plate; Luffy.

Zoro laughed at Ace's confused reaction and gave Luffy a high-five. Both boys' food supply was then taken by the older brother in return. The lesson was learned. Law laughed and then made up his mind on what to say.

"When do you guys want to go to the castle? I'm planning on spending the next few days there starting today, so-" Law asked politely, but was cut off by a confident Luffy.

"Today," Luffy stated with determination. Zoro and Ace sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing. Law felt rather strange under Luffy's intense stare, and avoided this by awkwardly looking at the wall beside him.

"Okay then. But remember, you guys have to help me document some of the historical stuff in there, or else you'd probably get in the way and I might get in trouble. Alright?" Law stated bluntly. The guests gave him a look of disgust, but nodded anyway. Anything to get into the castle!

So after finishing breakfast, the four of them packed up all of Law's cameras, notebooks, equipment and gear and such and loaded it into the trunk of Law's car. They then returned to the dark and creepy house to retrieve needed overnight materials. It took Luffy quite a long time to decide on what to bring and what not to bring with him. Eventually, Zoro and Ace both grabbed some of Luffy's stuff and crammed it into their own bags, and Luffy was oddly content. The bags were then shoved into the trunk, the trunk was shut, and the journey to the castle began!

* * *

The narrow dirt road that led to the architectural masterpiece was not as grand as it should have been, well, in Ace's opinion. It was overgrown all around, and was very muddy from the previous day's rain. Of course, no one other than Law was going there to look after the property, so it made sense that it looked that way. The lawn around the castle was also tall and had probably remained uncut for many years. Didn't do much for the property, that's for sure.

Meanwhile, Zoro saw another workout in mowing the lawn and pulling the ivy from the rusty iron gates. Luffy leaned his elbow on the windowsill in the car and boredly stared out at the tall grass, obviously bored. He just wanted to get inside the castle and explore, not look at landscapes. Though, he had to admit that it was kind of, somewhat pretty.

The car slowly came to a jagged halt on the muddy path , several yards from the overgrown gateway. Luffy up at Law, very excitedly, and then burst out of the car with a yell.

"Come onnn!" Luffy bellowed as he ran up to the rusty iron gates.

Law just smiled and then helped unload all of his supplies from the trunk. Zoro found himself carrying most of the luggage, making him become a bit irritated, but he quickly dismissed those feelings and continued walking after Ace.

Trafalgar unlocked the gate (magically), and the four men strode up to the once magnificent front castle doors. They bore faded carvings of delicate vines and coats-of-arms of many families along the edges of the doors. Some of the door had begun to rot away though, unfortunately. The once brightly polished brass handlebars now were discolored and dented. In its day, that entryway would have been the most elaborate and expensive of all the countryside. Ace looked at Zoro curiously, wondering exactly how the inside would look.

"Behold, a castle of many memories and mysteries~" Law said as he unlocked and threw the large doors wide open, exposing the inside to the visitor's eyes.

The main hall had very tall and extravagant ceilings, with tall walls to match. All the walls, and most of the castle actually, was constructed of stone and mortar, with no glass windows. This had let some of the elements within the castle walls and wore away some of windowsills and flooring. Luckily, most of the windows were spaced rather far apart, so the water damage didn't overwhelm the building's structure. Though, this information wasn't quite important to young Luffy; the only thing he wanted to know was when he could explore.

Law lifted a camera up to his eye and took a few pictures of the mainhall from the doorway, and then put it back in his book bag. Meanwhile, Zoro couldn't quite see over the mountain of stuff he was carrying, but he imagined… Luffy, however, was running around the hall like it was some sort of supermarket and he didn't know what to choose. Law smiled and told Zoro and Ace that they could set the luggage down on the ground until it needed to be moved again. Ace carefully looked around, silent, observing every detail and corner of the place. Zoro let out a sigh and finally could get a good look at his surroundings, and noticed a dented suit of armor just beyond the nearest archway. It looked terribly beaten up… He didn't know exactly what, but Zoro could tell something was odd about the 'castle'.

"Ace! Ace! Come quick! Look at this weird guy!" Luffy yelled from down the hall, flailing his arms around for attention. Ace laughed and walked over to where Luffy was and looked at the picture, still in its frame on the ground. Zoro soon followed, and grinned when he saw the man Luffy was talking about. It was a portrait of a very round man, with very tight looking dark purple clothes on, and had a mustache and beard that must have reached down past his chest. Oh, and he wore a very odd looking hat, which did not match whatsoever. Ace couldn't but laugh out loud, since the bearded man was a rather peculiar looking fellow. Law stepped over curiously and had to hide his laughter as he carefully handed a camera to Ace.

"Care to photograph our finding?" Law said with a gesture towards the odd portrait. Ace quickly recovered from his laughter and focused the camera, then took the picture. He looked over his photograph, and then handed the camera back to Law.

"You might want to keep that, Ace-ya, just in case you wander off somewhere and find something amazing; something worthy of documenting," Law suggested, pushing the camera back into Ace's hands. Ace looked at the camera, then up at Law.

"Okay. Thanks. I guess we'll go exploring around the castle now… Should we be back by a certain time, or place?" Ace questioned, grabbing his bag and carefully placing the camera inside it.

"Hmm. It's 1 o'clock right now… so be back by 5. Meet me right here, in this exact spot, alright?" Law proposed, crossing his arms. He didn't want Luffy to be out of his sight, but that was apparently impossible at the moment. *Sigh*

"Law.. Don't you want to come with us? You might find some better stuff where we're goi-" Luffy began enthusiastically, when Zoro clasped his hands over poor Luffy's mouth and dragged him around the nearest corner; Ace soon followed after he grabbed his bookbag off the ground. Law blinked for a minute before shrugging and turning around to take a picture of that dilapidated piece of metal armor.

"Luffy. Do you like Law?" Ace asked, so close to Luffy's face that they could have kissed. Zoro was actually half-tempted to make them kiss, too, but he didn't. Luffy blinked a few times then nodded hesitantly.

"Ototo, you can't like Law, okay? He's creepy and way too old for you. Just stick with us, alright?" Ace commanded, putting a hand on his younger brother's head. Luffy crossed his arms and pouted, but still nodded again. Zoro put an arm around Luffy and pressed him close against his chest.

"What's so good about Law when you have me, anyway?" Zoro asked jokingly, and laughed. Luffy looked up at Zoro for a few moments before grinning and wrapped his arms around the green-haired boy's waist.

"Oi oi, stop getting' all mushy right here. We have this whole castle practically to ourselves, so let's go somewhere else at least, okay?" Ace said with a grin on his face. Zoro took Luffy's hand and started to walk after Ace, who led them back into the great hall, up a wide stone-gray staircase, and down one of the narrow hallways with barely any light to guide them.

"Ace… its really dark here," Luffy mumbled, still holding Zoro's hand tightly. Ace just smiled, as did Zoro, and didn't say a word. The three soon came to stop in front of an old torch, hanging on the stone wall from an iron holder. Before Luffy or Zoro could ask, Ace took the torch from the holder, retrieved a lighter from his pocket, and lit the ancient torch on fire. Unfortunately, the oldest wasn't exactly looking where he pointed the flames, and nearly lit the poor grass-head's hair on fire. So after a quick punch was ushered to Ace's arm, they continued down the hall with their newly found light source.

They soon came upon a short door at the end of the eerie hall, which was completely made out of black iron, with iron hinges, and a black polished brass doorknob on the outside.

"Doesn't this seem like a little much for any old door?" Zoro questioned himself out loud, crossing his arms. Ace held the light up to the door, examined it, and decided that that exact door would be the beginning of their true exploration.

"Adventure! Finally!" Luffy shouted excitedly, jumping up and down. He quickly took the doorknob in his hands, and opened the door with a loud creak.

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~ + I apologize sincerely for the lateness of this update.. I have been unusually busy lately.. so I am sorry x_x hope you liked this chapter anyway + ~


	8. Chapter 8

**Yeah yeah yeah, i dont own One Piece or the One Piece characters, Oda-sensei does, sooo.. yeahhh.. XD**

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Chapter 8

Luffy enthusiastically took the doorknob into his hands, and quickly turned it to open the heavy door with a loud creak.

Luffy's usual excited grin faded, however, as Ace stuck the torch out into the room from the doorway, lighting up a very bland, yet almost scary looking room. It was practically empty, except for a worn down rug on the stone floor, and a very large wooden bureau & mirror against the back wall. There were no windows in that room, which didn't help, and this all added up to a crestfallen Luffy slouching against the doorframe.

"I thought this room was gonna be amazing! But no, it's just some boring old room," Luffy mumbled turning around and starting to walk back down the hallway again. Ace reached out his free hand and grabbed onto the young boy's shoulder, pulling him back into the doorway.

"Wait, Lu. I think maybe watching some of those antique shows might actually pay off," Ace said, pointing at the bureau across the dark room, barely visible. Zoro raised an eyebrow and stayed silent, tucking his hands into his pockets. Luffy tilted his head to the side and gave Ace a questioning expression.

"Here, Zoro, take the torch and follow me," Ace said, or commanded, pushing the dangerous torch toward the green-haired friend. He then walked further into the room with Luffy right behind him while Zoro fumbled the torch is his hands.

"Ace, what are you going to do?" Luffy asked, pulling on his brother's shirt. Ace turned around and grinned down at him.

"You'll see!"

So Zoro followed behind them, reaching up the torch to light the way, until Ace stopped right next to the wooden piece of furniture. The freckled teen then started to pull out the drawers, one by one, checking to see if there was anything of value left in them. They were filled with dusty but elegant clothes; both male and female. Luffy stood looking down at the drawers, clearly confused. The oldest then took the side of the dresser into his hands, pushing it away from the wall it stood against. It was clearly still heavy, though, as Zoro could tell from Ace's strained expression.

"One of the drawers I just took out was shorter than the other ones, so I'm guessing that there was another drawer behind it, opening from the back," Ace deducted, running his hand along the smooth wooden back.

"So it's a mystery thingy!" Luffy said, rubbing his chin in thought. Zoro sighed while Ace just laughed.

"I suppose it is, Luffy," Ace replied, but his expression soon changed, "Oh, I think I just found that mystery drawer back here." Zoro and Luffy leaned over to see as Ace pulled the small wooden knob on the drawer, making the container pull out of the frame and clatter onto the stone floor. The flame from the torch was reflected off of silvery and gold somethings. Luffy 'ooooh!'ed as he then leaned over and picked up one of the golden bracelets and a small coin. Zoro grinned as he too took a large ring into his hand and inspected it in the torch's light. Ace, meanwhile, was now facing the wall, his facial expression hidden in the shadow. A sudden unearthly creak came from what seemed like him, and Luffy nearly dropped what he was holding in surprise.

"Ace, what the hell was that?" Luffy laughed as he bent over to pick up 'his' bracelet again. Zoro wore a look of 'hahaha dude, you okay?', but Ace just turned to face them with a look of pure excitement, which somewhat disturbed Zoro. The older boy had something in his hand, but it was hard to tell what it was, since his body was blocking the light from shining there. It almost looked like he was leaning on something.

"Luffy, Zoro, I found the door to adventure!" Ace announced, bolting up and striking a hero-like pose. Now that Ace had moved, the other two could see that the 19 year old wasn't lying; there was an extremely short door that been blocked behind the heavy dresser.

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~ + **OOOHS! importante.. my brain is rusty and needs new ideas... SO! if you have a love for a very rare or odd pairing, i might just be willing to write a short story/something for you! Tell me what you like, and I'll let you know what I think!** + ~


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